Loire-Atlantique

Maritime département in the Pays de la Loire region of France; area 6,893 sq km/2,661 sq mi; population (1999 est) 1,134,300. The River Loire, its tributaries the Erdre and the Sèvre, and the River Isac, a tributary of the Vilaine, flow through it. Horses and cattle are bred, and cereals, vines, flax, and fruit are cultivated. The chief manufactures are hemp, linen, paper, sugar, biscuits, and soap. There are foundries and shipyards at Nantes (the administrative centre) and St-Nazaire, and oil refining and petrochemical industries. There is a large university at Nantes. Other towns include Ancenis and Châteaubriant.

The Loire-Atlantique is formed from part of the former province of Brittany (Bretagne) and the district of Retz. The land is generally flat and lies between the Bay of Biscay on the west and Maine-et-Loire on the east.